URBANA - John Raymond Carroll, Jr., P.E., 86, of Urbana died Saturday morning December 27th, 2008 at Clark-Lindsey Village, Urbana, IL.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30a.m. Friday January 2, 2009, at Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church, 102 N. State St., C. with the Rev. Alan Herbst officiating. Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory, Urbana, is handling the arrangements.

Ray was born July 8, 1922 in Maywood, IL, a son of John Raymond and Elizabeth Margaret (Lillian) Laverty Carroll. Mr. Carroll's father was transferred from Army Airmail to Chanute Field in 1925 and moved to Urbana in 1926. He Married Darlene Brown on August 29, 1942 in Dundee, IL. She passed away April 29, 2007.

Surviving are three children, John Raymond Carroll, III of Washington, D.C., Virginia Carroll Ragle and her husband, Jerry of Urbana; and Andrew Brown Carroll and wife, Joan Whitt of Overland Park, Kansas; four grandchildren, Natalie Ragle Swanson and husband Craig of Champaign, Nicholas Ryan Ragle of Champaign and Jackie Marie and Joel Whitt Carroll both of Overland Park, Kansas; one great-grandchild Luke Aaron Swanson.

He was preceded in death by their daughter, Roxanna Virginia Carroll and two brothers, Paul of Glenview, IL, and James of Los Angeles, CA, and one sister, Nadine of New York City.

Mr. Carroll graduated from Urbana High School in 1939 and the University of Illinois, College of Engineering in 1943. He received his graduate degree in 1947-48. He was active in various functions while a student, including being a Major in the ROTC. He was an active member of Scabbard and Blade, and Captain of Pershing Rifles before graduating and becoming a Second Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was an honorary member of Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi.

After World War II, in which he served 3-1/2 years, 2-1/2 years on active duty in the European Theatre as commanding officer of a heavy construction equipment unit, he returned to the University of Illinois and was a Professor of Mechanical Engineering (1948-75); concurrently, in 1954, he established a consulting engineering practice which became Carroll Henneman and Associates in 1961. He served as President until 1975 when he moved to Washington, D.C. as Director of Engineering for the U.S. Congress in the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. He retired and moved back to Urbana in 1995.

He was active in local community affairs; including the Episcopal Church, the Urbana Golf and Country Club, Kiwanis, the C/U Ambassadors, the American Legion, the Elks, the Quarterback Club, the Executive Committee of the Illini Industries Development Corporation, and was President-Elect of the Urbana Association of Commerce in 1974. He was a President of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers and a Vice President and Life Member and Fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and was nominated to be President for 1977. He was a Distinguished Service Member and a Fellow and a Life Member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers and a coauthor of two books and many technical articles and papers. He served as engineering representative to the Illinois School Safety Board and to the Physical Plant Standards Committee of the Illinois Hospital Licensing Board. He served as Chairman of the Urbana Building, Plumbing and School Safety Boards (1958-74).

He served as President of the U of I Alumni Club of Greater Washington (1976-86), was a Life Member and was on the Board of Directors of the U of I Alumni Association (1983-89) and twice received the Loyalty Award; and twice the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He was an active member of the American Arbitration Association, Lambda Alpha, the National Fire Protection Association, Association to Energy Engineers and various engineering professional and technical societies. He was listed in the Midwest edition of "Who's Who," and in "Engineers of Distinction," "Who's Who in Engineering, "Who's Who in Government," and "Who's Who in Science and Engineering." He became a "Kentucky Colonel" in 1973.

Upon his return to Illinois in 1995, he was appointed "Facilitator" to the State Joint Committee on Electric Utility, Regulatory Reform. In 1998 he was appointed by Governor Jim Edgar to the Illinois Building Commission.

Ray and Dar spent 6 months every winter in Ft. Myers, FL and were active in the Myerlee Golf and Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Emmanuel Memorial Episcopal Church in Champaign and the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be offered at www.renner-wikoff-chapel.com